Tag Archives: Steampunk

Asil Ares as “The Synthetic” – one of the major arcana in the Steampunk Tarot.

NeoVictoria sponsors the Asperatus sim this year, forming a perfect match between a steampunk sim and a steampunk roleplay group. Asil Ares shares with us her reasons to relay, the birth of NeoVictoria and tells us about the roleplay that will be taking place in Asperatus.

This is your first year sponsoring Fantasy Faire. What made you decide to become a sponsor?

Asil Ares: Virtual worlds fascinate me and I find Second Life™ particularly compelling, because its content is created by its players …SL doesn’t have to be a creatively passive user experience. But, the grid is vast and it can be difficult for people to find their niche. Big well-run events, like Fantasy Faire or Burning Man or the Second Life™ Birthday Community Celebrations, are ways to bring like-minded people together and help them find connection.

What makes Fantasy Faire especially compelling is that it is fund-raising for a really important cause: Relay for Life and the fight against cancer. Every year I go to the Faire and every year, it just gets better. Last year was one of the best SL events I’d ever seen; I was determined to get involved. The members of the NeoVictoria Roleplay Group agreed, so we decided to sponsor one of the steampunk fairelands.

How did you begin roleplaying in Second Life? How did NeoVictoria come into existence?

There are all kinds of roleplay communities in SL, and yes …the ones that get most of the press are salacious. However, the one that first caught my attention was created around a unique post-apocalyptic world replete with demons, angels, vampires and the occasional human. I’m writing about The City of Lost Angels, created by Suzanna Soyinka.

It amazed me, how much time and energy the residents of these communities invested in their characters and roleplays. As is often the way, I found myself joining several clans (or factions) in different subscribing SIMs. I became very close with some of the players, including my dear roleplay “cousin” Kwekwe Karu, who wrote a wonderful short story about how our characters met. This backstory became the source material for my first serious machinima, “Kwekwe Turned”.

After that, it was only a matter of time before I learned I needed the technical control of a full SIM to shoot machinima the way I wanted to make it. And then, the desire to expand that vision into a community began to take hold. That’s how NeoVictoria, as a SL simulation, formed in my mind. I’ve always loved Steampunk, so when I dreamed about creating a world, it was those kinds of images that came to me. And I loved the possibility of a community whose roleplay isn’t lost once the scene is over. The NeoVictoria Project™ is very much a mixing of those themes and desires.

Mask’d Ball at the Castle

What can we expect of NeoVictoria during the Faire? Will you be roleplaying in Asperatus? Are the visitors welcome to join in or is it more a performance?

Visitors can expect some nice gifts to be found in Mrs. Chickenstalker’s Apothecary and Dry Goods Emporium (that’s the name of our store on Asperatus). And they can look forward to some exciting and engaging roleplay, which they are most welcome to join!

The story NeoVictoria will play at the Fantasy Faire is called “The Revenge of Professor Timmons.” In it, the professor has built a treacherous robot, which damages our town’s power center. They then make their escape to Asperatus. We townsfolk chase after these miscreants, so there will be lots of excitement, fighting in the streets, and general mayhem going on. In the end, we will capture the bad guys, and there will be a great big celebration on Friday, 9 May (with Gabrielle Riel of Radio Riel fame as our live DJ). After which, we will return the evil doers to NeoVictoria to receive their just desserts.

What calls you to fantasy and steampunk? When was the first time you encountered the genres and realized you enjoyed them?

I fell in love with fantasy when I learned to read. My grandmother had all the Andrew Lang fairy books and one of my earliest memories is turning the pages of those ancient books to wonder at the pictures. As for Steampunk, I think I always was one, though I didn’t really understand it as a movement until I read Bruce Sterling‘s excellent essay, “The User’s Guide to Steampunk“.

Asil Karu and Cabbage in Sidhe Park

Do you have a favorite Faire memory? What are you looking forward to most this year?

I don’t remember what year it was, I just remember it was the first place I saw the work of Elicio Emberand it both amazed and delighted me. As a roleplayer, I’m most looking forward to “The Revenge of Professor Timmons“, but as a visitor, it’s The Faery Court that I plan to see as soon as the gates open.

Thank you, Asil, for taking the time to chat with us and giving us a heads-up about the roleplay in Asperatus: we’re excited to see how it will all turn out.

That’s the way all the best stories begin, isn’t it? And Fantasy Faire is no different.

So we could say that once upon a time, there were lands of many enchantments … the Fairelands. And in the Fairelands were regions of great and fascinating beauty, and many stores with wonderful wares to sell. There was music and laughter and a police that was small in stature but ferocious at upholding the law and at inflicting fines for infringements.

But there it all just begins, for Fantasy Faire has always been a place for stories … for taking the “Once Upon a Time” and then creating the story to follow … a story that every individual visitor to the Faire could write for themselves.

This year the Faire will be celebrating those stories in a variety of ways!

MACHINIMA
First of all, if you are a machinima artist and want to tell a story created at Fantasy Faire, there will be special access for FIVE machinima artists in the days leading up to the event when the sims will be quieter. We will be sharing more details of this soon.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Then there will be a PHOTO COMPETITION with very special prizes. We are looking for the photographs that best capture the spirit of each of the eleven sims – and the winners will be included in a calendar (with credits for the photographers) that will be created in real life using Cafe Presse and sold to raise money for Relay for Life. So this year, people really will be able to take the Faire home with them – and share it with their friends and family too!

But … eleven sims … eleven months. What of the twelfth? That one will be the photograph that – in the opinions of the judges – best encapsulates the spirit of the Faire. Not only will it be the image for the twelfth month – it will also appear on the cover of the calendar.

SHORT STORIES AND POETRY
As we had last year, there will be a short story competition – and this year there will be a poetry competition. Let the Faire inspire you to tell tales or compose ballads … the winners will appear in edition of Prim Perfect magazine, with a wealth of illustrations.

BALLET
In advance of the opening of the Faire, a special ballet will be staged and recorded. You’ll be able to see this on the blog and elsewhere during the Faire.

ROLE PLAY
Perhaps the most exciting development is that a series of tales will be unfolding directly at the Faire itself, with three established roleplaying groups bringing their stories to the Faire. Each will tell a story over part of the Faire; there’ll be opportunities for Faire visitors to become involved, to watch key events in the stories, and to follow the progression of these tales through news bulletins on Fantasy Faire Radio, and through special pages in the Events section of the Fantasy Faire blog.

NeoVictoria in Asperatus
The NeoVictoria Roleplay Group presents “The Revenge of Professor Timmons”. A renegade aristocrat and an evil scientist with revenge on their minds are using illicit Strand-world technology to create a murderous clockwerk automaton. After damaging the power-center of the NeoLondon Cathedral, they decamp to Planet Asperatus and the NeoVictorians follow to bring them to justice! Beginning on 1 May in NeoVictoria SIM, they will be bringing the story to the Fairelands on Monday, 5 May when their intrepid band of roleplayers land in the sky-city of the Fairelands: Asperatus!

The Rickety Weasels
In Wiggenstead Mooring, between the lagoon and the tavern, live a group of feral kids who call themselves “The Rickety Weasels”. They ferociously protect the four Guardians of the Elemental Stones, which keep the balance of the Fairelands.

Little do they know that, no far from there, the Shadows are growing stronger and greedier, and that their leader, The Dark Shadow, covets the Guardians of the Elemental Stones. For the Stones could give him Power, and into Darkness plunge the Fairelands forever.

Trade Winds Pirates
A group of desperate pirates have found themselves stranded in Blackwater Glenn, desperately seeking funds to repair their ship. What lengths will they go to to accomplish their goal? You’ll certainly find a warm welcome in their impromptu tavern – but will you also find your pocket lightened?

So come and join us at the Faire … we can’t promise that you’ll live happily ever after … but we will do our best to make sure that you find the most amazing stories to see, to join, to tell and to take home.

With The 2011 Fantasy Faire for Relay for Life of Second Life Official Kick Off just a day away ,I have had the enchantment of chatting with .. The Nemo Revisited Sim Sponsor,Fantasy Furniture, By Arachne Anatr . An interesting lady of character and steamy creative creator.

Q1.Arachne Anatra.. can you tell us a little bit about yourself and FANTASY FURNITURE BY ARACHNE ANATRA

Just over 3 years ago Arachne joined SL with the sole intention of creating, after being asked to produce some graphics by a RL friend who was an SL resident. She started twisting pixels on her second day and quickly began to develop a range of fantasy furniture and clothing. Since then her knowledge and building skills have progressed somewhat and she now has a full sim at ‘Arachne’ and 1/2 sim at ‘Blood Myst’ housing her collections. Her initial interest in making clothing has these days been over taken by her love of furniture design but she still turns her hand to the odd item when inspiration hits. The image here shows her latest creation, a cute little outfit for those with a desire to be a Steampunk Dolly for the day.

During the initial days, little could she imagine what a ‘real life’ changing experience SL would be. Along with building she enjoyed role playing in many genres and is now happy twiddling away with new designs and spending time with her partner Nathan, who has become a wonderful addition to her real life too, both of them having traveled across the pond to send time together in NY and London.

Q2 As a Fantasy Faire 2011 Sim Sponsor, what initially piqued your interest about sponsoring such an event?

Arachne first heard about this event last year from an RP sim she was involved with but sadly only after it was up and running and all the designer shops were full. So this year she is delighted to make up for that by being the Sim Sponsor for Nemo Revisited.

Q3 What is it about RFL / ACS and the Fantasy Faire 2011 that you are particularly passionate about?

”This event is something that truly spoke to me the first time I saw what amazing impact our little online community can have on so many real lives. It reminds us all that SL is more than just a game and has the potential to bring together creative soles from all walks of life to build something wonderful that can be shared across backgrounds, age, time zones, race and unite us all in helping such a worthy cause. I am inspired and humbled by the amazing work the organizers have done for this event, their faith and enthusiasm for it is most infections, truly amazing people who deserve the Fantasy Faire to be a huge success.”

Q4 What are you really looking forward to with the Fantasy Faire 2011 most this year?

”This year I am really looking forward to taking some time out to wander round the event and appreciate all the wonderful creations on display. Things crafted with such love and passion, it makes you feel that you are wandering through the corridors of an amazing art gallery. I take great joy in the work of other artists and the time they have spent in bringing us such beautiful things to admire, wear, play with and sit on. Oh and of course…let’s not forget shopping…there has to be some shopping involved too” she grins.